The Diplomatic Demon and Friends
by Phantom1968
Summary: Master Chief has been given a task, a task that he does not want. But orders are orders. Together with a Marine, who is fresh from boot camp, the Chief and his AI Cortana travel to the Sangheili homeworld of Sanghelios on a diplomatic mission. But all is not what it seems. Plots will be foiled, shots will be fired, and romance will be found. Multiple Female Sangheili x OC (Hiatus)
1. Prologue

**Hello everybody! Phantom with a revised version of my Halo fanfiction, featuring Arby, Chief, Cortana, and a normal Marine. Prologue has been extended and rewritten, and Chapter 1 is in progress. Hope you will find this version an improvement from the last one. Enjoy!**

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Prologue: The Assignment

It was simple: get in, make friends with the entire split-lip species, get out. Easy, right? Well, not for the Chief, hero of the universe, and all of humanity. He was a soldier, a war machine, a harbinger of death, _The Demon_; not some interrelations diplomat. But that's what Lord Hood, ONI, and the UNSC War Council wanted; the legendary Spartan-II to become a diplomat/ambassador to the Sangheili homeworld of Sanghelios.

But he wasn't the only one who was upset. Private Tristan Andrew Smith didn't like it either. He had just joined the UNSC Marines, hoping to fight some Covies. Then the war was over, a truce was signed with the Sangheili, and Smith's first 'non-combat' assignment was to accompany the Master Chief on a diplomatic mission. The split-lips even gave 'The Demon' a new nickname: 'The Diplomatic Demon'.

A little inside joke that was shared among human and Sangheili alike, 'Diplomatic Demon' never failed to being chuckles, smiles, and so on to both species whenever the nickname was uttered. And Chief hated it, a lot. Cortana thought it suited him, much to the Spartan's annoyance.

But Chief's mission wasn't the only news that shocked the UNSC and Sangheili. The Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam, wasn't who she said she was. That's right: _she_. Arbiter was a female Sangheili who defied Covenant tradition and laws, and became the first female to serve in the Prophets' false army. She used a hidden scrambler to disguise her voice, and wore a bodysuit that cleverly concealed her feminine figure. And what's more, no one knew her true identity until she revealed it when she returned with what remained of the Sangheili force of the crumbling Covenant back to Sanghelios.

Surprisingly, however, Arbiter wasn't disgraced any further than she already was when she bore the armor of her ancestors. Rather, she was hailed as a hero to her people. Because of her actions, Sangheili culture changed to allow Sangheili females, when they are of age, to fight 'for the glory of Sanghelios'. But many traditional Sangheili military leaders, especially those who still believed the lies of the Prophets (including Jul M'dama), strongly disagreed and sought for ways to remove Thel Vadam, even assassinate her if they needed to. That was the true purpose of this 'diplomatic assignment', but neither Chief, Tristan, nor the Arbiter know about it. And that's how Lord Hood, ONI, the UNSC War Council, and the Holy Sangheili Supreme Court want it and have it stay that way.

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**So, I am doing better now, and I am back in business! Whoo!**

**Phantom out.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello again everyone. Sorry for the delay on this one. I lost the original draft for the first chapter, so I completely rewrote it and, well, here it is. Enjoy.**

**P.S. This will contain smut between a human male and a female Sangheili. If you are disgusted by this, or hate it, leave now or forever hold your peace. R63 Arbiter and Shipmaster Rtas Vadum.**

**P.P.S. The poll is down and the results are in. The top two winners with the most vote percentage are:**

**Zootopia #2 (Movie Plot AU, Human OC x R63 Nick Wilde)**

**Jungle Book Harem ft. Mowgli x Rashka, Gray, R63 Bagheera, and R63 Shere Khan.**

**Thanks for the feedback, people. Much Appreciated. :D**

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Chapter 1

For the fourth time in their lives, the Sangheili crew of the Shadow of Intent gazed upon the glorious, but ruined and scarred, human homeworld, Earth. Rtas 'Vadum and her underlings found Earth to be almost similar to Sanghelios in many ways. From its rich atmosphere, to the large masses of land and bodies of water, and the dierse native wildlife.

Rtas thrummed her claws on the armrest of her command chair, lost in thought. They were centered on the matter of the Demon coming aboard her ship, and the Sangheili homeworld on what everyone thought was a 'diplomatic mission'. But she knew otherwise. The Sangheili High Council, or rather, the members who openly and willingly accepted a permanent peace treaty with the humans, informed Rtas and Rtas alone that the 'diplomacy' part was just a cover for something much more deeper and sinister and serious. In addition, she was assigned to escort the Demon and aid him in protecting the Arbiter from those who wanted to end her life.

But there was a catch. Apparently, from what she heard from both human and Swords of Sanghelios (SoS) intelligence, the Demon was also accompanied by a normal human soldier. This, to say the very least, surprised Rtas. A simple human warrior. Setting foot on Sanghelios? Indeed something worth putting into the historical archives. She snorted at the thought of the humans coming to Sanghelios, but was curious to see what this 'marine' was like.

"Shipmistress 'Vadum," spoke a voice from behind the white-armored Sangheili. Rtas swiveled in her chair to find none other than the Arbiter, Thel 'Vadam, standing there with a glint in her orange, reptilian eyes. "'Long time no see', as the humans say."

Rtas chuckled and rose from the chair and greeted Thel with a firm handshake. "Yes. It has been some time since we've las spoken. How fairs our home.

Thel shrugged her shoulders. "Not much is going on, except for a few insurgencies in protest of our alliance with the humans.

Rtas grunted in acknowledgment and withdrew her hand. "I am not surprised." She sighed. "I can't believe that almost half of our sacred home still believe in the Prophets' lies. It is...saddening, really. And frustrating."

Thel nodded. "Yes, it is." She paused for a moment, then said, "Rtas, what are your thoughts on this mission?"

"It is a historical moment for both of our species," Rtas said. "A human setting foot on our home?" She shook her head. "That will be exhilarating, as well as nerve wracking and 'heretical' for most of us, especially the elders of the Old Covenant."

"Don't forget about the Demon, the one the humans call 'Master Chief'," Thel chimed.

Rtas nodded. "Of course. Him too."

Thel chuckled and shook her head. "Indeed it is, Shipmistress. Indeed it is. Well, I must be on my way to the hangar. Our guests will be arriving soon."

"Farewell, Arbiter." Thel bowed her head before she turned on her digitigrade heels and departed from the bridge, leaving Rtas virtually to herself. She let out a sigh and sank into her chair, her thoughts now turning to what the Swords of Sanghelios High Council had told her several Earth Sol cycles ago...

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"This is more than just diplomacy between our former-enemy-turned-ally, the humans, and the Sangheili race, Shipmistress 'Vadum. The Arbiter is in grave danger."

"How so Grand Councilwoman Shrav?" asked Rtas.

"There are those who wish to see the death of the 'traitor to the Covenant'. Some even personally," replied a male Sangheili, who sat to the right of the Grand Councilwoman.

"I...I see." Rtas raised a hand to her theoretical chin, processing the troubling information.

"The human 'Office of Naval Intelligence has told us that they are receiving similar backlash and threats back on Earth," Shrav added. "This 'diplomatic mission' is just a cover for investigating the suspected assassins on our planet. Similar operations will take place once we are finished here. Your mission is to aid the Demon in protecting the Arbiter while we uncover the assassins' plot and expose them. Am I clear?"

Rtas raised her eyes to meet the ceremonially-garbed Sangheili above her. "Yes," she said unconvincingly.

Shrav narrowed her gaze at her. "Do you feel you are not up to the task?"

Rtas was silent, then said, "Of course I am up to the task. You couldn't have asked for a better candidate than I. I swear on my honor that I will not let the Arbiter fall."

Shrav nodded in satisfaction and leaned back in her seat. "Good. You are dismissed, and this council meeting is concluded." Rtas bowed her head and beat her chestplate, straightened herself, and turned on her heel to exit the council chambers. Then Shrave said, "May the gods be with you, Shipmistress 'Vadum."

"And with you, Grand Councilwoman," Rtas called over her shoulder.

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That was exactly three Earth cycles ago, Rtas remembered, but the memory of the conversation was still fresh in her mind. Rtas sighed and rested an arm on the armrest and stared up at the ceiling. "'Protect the Arbiter'," she murmured. "But at what cost?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2. I know I said that everything would be on hiatus until further notice, but I finished writing out the chapter on paper and typing it onto my online docs. So, here it is. Enjoy.**

**P.S. I have created my Beta Reader profile and will be taking requests to read over and edit y'all's stories. :D**

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Chapter 2

The Master Chief was pissed. Heck, he was beyond pissed. The UNSC and ONI had the audacity to remove him from active duty, after he saved the entire universe from extinction, and demote him to be an 'ambassador' to the humans. His purpose was to attempt to establish an 'official' peace treaty with the remains of the Sangheili species. Oh, he was very pissed. And a wall had the unfortunate experience of knowing how he was upset with the UNSC and ONI. Cortana, on the other hand, was more than happy with this new assignment, much to her spartan's frustration.

Of course, Cortana was the only one excited for this whole thing. She looked forward to learning more about the Sangheili people, their culture, and their history as a species before the Human-Covenant War. She was surprised, before the news about the Arbiter spread like wildfire, to find that there were a small handful of female Sangheili who have fought in numerous conflicts over the past two to three centuries. According to her research, Arbiter, or Thel 'Vadam, wasn't the first or only female to apply the use of constrictive armor and bodysuits to hide their feminine figure, and a voice changer to mask their voices. But Thel was the only female to have her secret publicly revealed when she was stripped of her honor and rank and forced to don the armor of the Arbiter: the first female Arbiter.

Then there was the other human who was to set foot on Sanghelios; Tristan Smith. Fresh from boot and eager to see some action, Smith was met with disappointment when he was given his first assignment. He went from a green, ready-to-fight Marine, to an insignificant 'ambassador'. At least they let him keep his gun and equipment for 'security purposes'. But Tristan wasn't one to complain. Despite not getting deployed into combat like he wanted, he was legitimately interested in learning about a member of humanity's former enemy, the Covenant; the Sangheili.

He had heard many things about the Elites, or Sangheili as they are called, even though he wasn't sure what was true and what wasn't. He had also learned that there was, understandably, some animosity and hostility still directed towards the Sangheili. They, along with the six or seven other species that made up the Covenant, contributed to the attempted mass genocide of the entire human race based on a misguided religious belief of some kind. He didn't know much about the full details, as ONI-being the shady organization they are-had completely closed all information on what was called the 'Great Schism', the cause of the Sangheilis' sudden and pivotal change of allegiance with humanity. Nonetheless, Tristan had forgotten all about his being upset and was instead eager to meet a Sangheili up close and personal for the first time in his life. In all honesty, he was actually scared. And the moment when he, the Master Chief, and his AI construct become the first UNSC personnel to set foot on an alien homeworld, was about to be upon them…

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PFC Tristan August Smith anxiously bounced his foot up and down as he sat waiting for his ride to come pick him up. To his right was the legendary Master Chief, standing proudly at around seven-feet-tall and weighing nearly a ton in that green Titanium-composite-alloy armor of his. The Spartan had his arms crossed over his chest as he silently and ominously observed the activities around him through his gold-tinted visor. Tristan had only heard one or two stories about Spartans in general. But he didn't know that the Master Chief even existed up until now. There were many rumors about the super-soldier in question. Just as he did with the rumors about the Sangheili, Tristan dismissed them.

A loud humming sound overhead brought Tristan out of his thoughts and he and the Chief looked up to find a purple-and-gold colored Phantom circling the inside of the base before it finally set itself down on one of the helipads. The Marine and the Spartan gathered their gear and made their way over to the Sangheili dropship. Despite its presence, no one took the time to stop and look at it, instead choosing to continue on with their work. Outside of the base gates, however, crowds of civilian protesters stood yelling and banging on the doors. Tristan understood their actions, and sympathized with them. But he knew that what they were doing, or trying to do, wasn't the way to solve their problems.

The helipad the Phantom had situated itself on was close to the main gate, where the bulk of the stirring crowds were held at bay by electric fences, razor wire, scores of machine gun nests, and Marines. The crowd spotted Tristan and the Chief and turned their verbal assault on them. Insults like 'split-lip', er, whatever, and 'Covie lover' spilled from their angry shouts as he and the Chief approached the Phantom. Tristan did his best to ignore them and their hateful glares, but the jeering and the sneers began to get to him, until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. he turned to find the Chief nodding in reassurance. Tristan smiled weakly and continued towards the Phantom.

The side doors had lowered and two groups of Sangheili in blue and red armor stepped out of the Phantom and stood guard until their passengers arrived. One of them stepped forward from the group and approached the two humans, saying, "Greetings, Demon. And company. I am Rel 'Davum" The rough guttural tone common to the Sangheili the Chief had fought was absent when Rel spoke. Instead, a soft, semi-feminine tone came out, surprising both the Spartan-II and Tristan. She noted their surprise and addressed it. "I see that you are speechless. Well, I am a female, in case you were wondering." She clicked her mandibles twice before saying, "Come. We have much to discuss during our journey to Sanghelios." She beckoned for them to follow as she walked back to the group and up into the Phantom. The two humans exchanged a quizzical glance with one another before they both shrugged and followed after the Sangheili. Once onboard, the side doors raised and closed, then sealed and pressurized the cabin before departing. Tristan dropped his bag on the floor and sat down next to it with his back on the wall. He then tipped his helmet downward so that it covered his eyes, and attempted to sleep for the 20-30 minutes it would take to arrive on the Shadow of Intent. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as the tiring, day caught up with im and pulled him into a deep slumber.

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Master Chief watched silently as his Marine protege fell asleep. He sighed and looked around the interior of the Phantom, finding that it was smaller than he thought. Of course, that could be just him being a seven-foot-tall human supersoldier in a small space. The six Sangheili that were on board were silent as well, their orange reptilian eyes focused on either the floor of the wall. Occasionally, one of them would glance up at him for a brief moment before they looked away. The Spartan-II crossed his arms over his chestplate and leaned back against the wall behind him, and let out a sigh.

Something on your mind?" asked Cortana, her voice echoing inside his helmet. He reached up and yanked the chip from the back of his helmet and held it in front of him. She had her hands on her hips and one of her eyebrows were quirked up. "I know you too well, John. You can tell me what's wrong."

He stared at her through his gold-plated visor in silence before he finally said, "I would rather not talk about it, Cortana. If you really knew me that well, you'd be able to read my mind. Besides, I'm just itching to get back into a fight." Before she could say anything, he placed the chip back into his helmet. "This conversation is over."


End file.
